


Beyond Possible

by flightinflame



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Cryptozoology, DGHDA Spookfest 2018, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Project Blackwing (Dirk Gently), Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 09:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16472561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: In which Dirk discovers he's a cryptid, Todd discovers more injuries that Blackwing left behind, Mona demonstrates her acting abilities, and Hobbs ends up faced with more Jackalopes than is strictly necessary.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my partner for the Spookfest @anielle for their encouragement and support, my wonderful beta lourdesdeath and @electricteatime for running the spookfest. Written for the prompt Cryptid.

Experiments and test subjects didn't need toys or things to do. They just needed to succeed in their tests, and he wasn't even good at those. For his last birthday Riggins had given him a book of mythology, and he read that after he'd finished for the day, unless he had done so badly it was taken away as punishment. He knew he should be grateful that the colonel had decided he was too young for physical punishment or loss of key privileges, but he still got bored, still wished he had more. Sometimes he got to play with different cards, but mostly he faced either tests or emptiness, and the emptiness was worse.

A few weeks ago he'd had a new test, and met a girl who was kind of his age, some of the time. She made him smile, and ever since meeting her, he had hoped he might get another chance to see her again. He had told her about his boredom and sympathetically she had said about turning into a chair, and he had known then that they would be good friends. And they were good friends. She was always willing to be a human when he needed an embrace, and he was always willing to talk to her whatever shape she took. He knew deep down that she wasn't exactly normal, but then nor was he. She was called Project Lamia, after a monster that changed her shape from emotion. Lamia did that, but she wasn't a monster, not really. She just didn't like being human, and he could understand that. Her name didn't fit her, not really, but it was the one she had been given, the one that he had seen in his book - he knew her story before he had even met her. It was a page that was dog eared, along with the stories about incubus demons, about Moloch, about Charon. Like the page about Icarus.

Icarus. The boy who fell to his death after getting too close to the sun. The one who failed, the wax of his wings melting because he didn't listen to what he was told to do. The irony wasn't lost on him. It hadn't been melted wax that had stripped him of flight, but the knife that Mister Priest had held, pressing the blade against the joint of his wing, slicing through skin and feather and bone. He still had nightmares about that, even though he'd been told that it wasn't a punishment, not really. It hadn't been done to hurt him, it had just been done to make sure he wouldn't escape. It was for his own good.

Anyway, there were tests to complete and work to do, and flying away would only lead to falling. He reminded himself of that whenever his book was taken.

One day, it was taken forever. He'd been reading over the notes on Charon again, when Mister Priest had come in, and he'd been angry at seeing Icarus looking at that page. He'd kicked him, and taken the book from him. From then on he'd only been given lists, with the occasional piece of information. Charon never appeared on the list again, but Mister Priest was rougher afterwards, and Riggins seemed disappointed.

Icarus tried to put his memories of that book out of his mind, to focus on the tests that he was given and the work that he was meant to do. The tests were hard enough. He couldn't afford to remember the book, the way that certain stories had jumped out at him. He didn't let himself think of the story of Marzanna, or of Moloch and child sacrifice. It was very nearly successful.

But when he met Moloch, asleep in his bed, he couldn't help remembering the stories from before, and the wing which had been split in two ached. He was sure it was trying to tell him something, to explain something about what he was faced with, but he couldn't understand what. He pushed his concerns aside, and tried to focus on his survival. In Blackwing, just surviving was challenge enough. There was no need to think of mysteries above and beyond the tests he was given.

In his dreams he saw monsters and heard stories, pictures and ideas he could barely remember or name. It would have been easier not to think about it, but those stories continued to nag, at the back of his mind, a constant sense that there was something more, something he should know.

***

Todd clicked through the images on the screen in front of him, feeling a little tired and distracted. He'd been looking for a case for a while now, and having spent a lot of time poking about on Wikipedia he had ended up on a conspiracy forum, reading about mysterious disappearances and alien abductions. He was pretty sure that most of what he was reading was absolute bullshit, but there was a chance that something he saw was real. After all, his time with Dirk had involved some pretty weird stuff, it wouldn't be impossible.

"Children of Death" was a heading that caught his eye. With no other priorities, he clicked on it, and started to read. What he found shocked him - information about a girl with curly hair who was rumoured to be behind over a dozen murders and sudden deaths, and a boy with a yellow jacket, who was rumoured to be an angel. The two of them had been sighted, on and off, for the past sixteen years.

Someone had even made the connection with the Spring case.

Todd stared at the webpage. His first instinct was to click away, to act as though he was unaware, but that wouldn't work, not when he'd seen it. He had to tell Dirk, even if he was unsure about it, was worried about how Dirk would react. He took a couple of deep breaths and then turned over to where Dirk was sitting, quite obviously playing on his phone and not even making an attempt to hide it.

"Dirk?"  
"Yes Todd?"  
"Could you come over here?"  
"Just let me... YES!" Dirk squealed in delight, before putting his phone aside and hurrying over to Todd, sat beside him. He read the page, and frowned a little.   
"You think that's Bart?"  
"I think that's Bart, and I think this is you," Todd agreed. "I think you're a cryptid."  
"A what? Todd, you can't just make up words."

"Like, some kind of mythical creature," Todd explained, and was startled by the rush of emotions that seemed to flow through Dirk when he heard that explanation. He'd been partially teasing when he mentioned it, but Dirk's expression made it clear he didn't find it amusing.

"Can you say that again?" Dirk asked.  
"You're a cryptid. Like in a fairy tale-"  
"No," Dirk raised a hand and sighed. "I want you to tell me it exactly how you said it before."  
Todd shrugged slightly.  
"You're some kind of mythical creature?"

Dirk turned away. In the moment before he did, Todd caught sight of his face, saw a pain there that he couldn't hope to understand. Whatever was wrong, this wasn't Dirk just failing to take a joke. He wondered if he was worried about being found by Blackwing, and made a note on a post-it to ask Farah for advice on covering their tracks, maybe reporting some fake sightings. He jotted it down quickly, then looked over. Dirk was in the side room, but he hadn't closed and locked the door. That was their agreement - if Dirk needed to be left alone he'd lock the door. If the door was open it was an offer, even a request - it meant he could come in and speak to him.

With a sigh, Todd bookmarked the web page and got to his feet, going to see if Dirk was willing to talk. As he pushed open the door, he could hear the sound of quiet sobbing, and he wished that he knew what to say, but as so often happened he felt out of his depth.

***

 

The door creaked open, and Dirk looked up, wiping at his eyes. He knew they would be red with tears, but he wanted to pretend that everything was alright. Todd looked at him knowingly, and he swallowed down another sob.  
"Dirk?"  
"Sorry," Dirk muttered.

"I was just joking..." Todd tried to explain, as though he thought that was the problem. Dirk almost laughed. The thought that Todd could have made him feel the anguish currently twisting inside of him was amusing in its own way. He cleared his throat, and shook his head, smiling slightly when Todd moved over to him, sitting beside him on the sofa. 

"You got Mona there?" he asked, pointing at the stress toy that was sat on Dirk's lap.  
"She came over, I think she was worried," Dirk admitted, taking a few shaky breaths. He gently squeezed her, and she made a soft squeak in response. "I'm sorry for freaking out at you."  
"That's okay," Todd said, and shrugged. "You want to explain what it was about?"  
"Uh..." Dirk licked his lips, glancing down, busy fingers brushing over Mona. He didn't want to tell her, didn't want her to be angry, only Mona was never angry with him, and if anyone would have understood it was an accident, it was her.

"For a birthday... I think it might have been my ninth?" Dirk began, and Todd's face did the scrunchy thing which meant he was preparing for something bad. Dirk leaned against him, trying to provide some comfort. "They gave me a book about legends. I read the story of Icarus a lot, because that was me, but I also... I read about others, I read about Lamia, and Moloch, and about Incubus... and I..." For a second Dirk's voice failed him, and he shuddered, but Todd's arm was warm around his shoulders and he made himself continue. "I was interested in those, and in others. The ones that were Blackwing projects. I let myself read them, and even told the Colonel about the stories when he asked if I had any favourites, and I..."

"You what Dirk?" Todd asked, and his hand was resting on Dirk's shoulder. Dirk shivered a little before he continued.  
"I gave them the names."

Todd fell quiet, squeezing Dirk's shoulder but lost in his own thoughts. A few times he frowned, but said nothing. He was clearly working out how to phrase something.  
"That's all you did," Todd said, his voice careful. "You gave them inspiration for project names. I mean, I don't know much about the others but I know Incubi are sex demons, and while I don't want to know that about my sister's love life it... it doesn't exactly scream out four magic homeless dudes that go around sucking energy out of people."

Dirk frowned, trying to follow Todd's logic. Todd was kind, and always tried to cheer him up, even if it was hopeless.

But there was logic to what he said. Based on what he gave them there might have been a few characteristics to go on, but they weren't exact. They couldn't have taken what he said and used it to find an address.

He hadn't been the one who had rounded them up, and he hadn't given Priest a list of targets. His heart hammered in his chest, relief washing through him at that simple fact. He hadn't done this. He hadn't betrayed them.

He could feel tears running down his face, and he leaned against Todd once more, Todd's hand skimming his side. Mona gave a supportive squeak, and he squeezed her gently, letting her know that he was grateful to both of them. He hadn't trapped them, and he couldn't blame himself.

After a little while, when his tears had run dry, he looked up to see Todd staring at him and sat up a little smarter.  
"So," he tried to smile. "You were saying about the internet before I got all… unnecessarily emotional."  
Mona turned into a ladybird the size of Dirk's hand. That wasn't particularly helpful, so he poked her little antenna.

"Hmm?" Todd asked.  
"She's accusing me of turning into a bug. Emotionally," he answered, before carefully flipping the Mona-Ladybird over and tickling her underside. He let her go after a moment, and she fluttered away, doing a celebratory lap of the room and landing on his head.

Todd started to laugh, coughing slightly to try and hide it.

"So, you were telling me about cryptids?" Dirk said, with as much dignity as he could muster with an overly-large ladybird sat on his head.

"I was," Todd agreed, staring and then suddenly laughing. "She's a big ladybug. A ladybig."  
"I ... I mean you aren't wrong," Dirk agreed, laughing slightly as he reached up to pat Mona's wing cases. She crawled onto his hand, and he lifted her down so that Todd could see her more clearly.

"She thinks you're safe, you know that?" Todd muttered, and Mona fluttered in agreement. Dirk managed a faint smile at that, because even when things were scary, he had the support of Todd and Farah and Mona, and friends now that he had never thought he would have. He patted her again.

"So," Todd cleared his throat, and grinned. "Cryptids are creatures or monsters from legend that shouldn't exist in reality, but some people think they do. Things like werewolves-" Mona lifted from Dirk's hand, and suddenly there was a small grey puppy at his feet. Dirk reached down to pat her, and Todd continued. "or jackalopes-" Mona was now a small fluffy rabbit with antlers. "Or the mothman."

Dirk laughed out loud as Mona turned into a moth which was wearing a rainbow-coloured t-shirt and fluttering around Todd's head. Todd reached out and patted her, smiling slightly.  
"Excellent assisting there Mona," Todd grinned at Dirk as he mimicked him.

Dirk nodded.  
"How do you feel about cryptids?"  
"I mean they make cool stories? Mona's welcome to be a sea serpent in the sink if she wants..." Todd answered, still smiling. The Mona moth fluttered away towards the sink, and there was a splash and a happy trill.

Dirk's smile faltered slightly and swallowed.  
"I mean, if we were cryptids, would it change anything?"  
"Dirk. Mona is literally currently a sea serpent. She is a cryptid."  
"But they're... they're monsters," Dirk mumbled, and his gaze was down at the floor in a way that indicated Todd needed to support him. He was lost in memories, remembering the way Priest had told him that he was a freak, and how his wings were just one more piece of evidence that he was unnatural. "You couldn't love a monster."

"I could if it was you." Todd reached out. "Is there something you want to talk about?"  
"No," Dirk said quickly. "I just want to investigate this, see if any leads come up, maybe find a way to warn Bart against killing on camera, although I suppose if the Universe is protecting her she's safe..."

Todd nodded, and didn't ask for anything more from him, didn't tell Dirk to explain something that he couldn't. That was what was good about Todd, he was always kind in his own way. Dirk couldn't have ever imagined someone listening when he said he didn't want something, but Todd did, and he was glad about that.

That night, the two of them drank hot cocoa before heading to bed. Mona had decided she rather liked her moth form, so she was doing laps around the light in the kitchen.  
"Remember to turn it off when you go to sleep!" Dirk reminded her, walking with Todd to the room they had ended up sharing. Todd paused.  
"Do you think we should tell her that the Mothman isn't a moth in a t-shirt?"   
"No," Dirk answered quickly. "She's having fun and it doesn't hurt anyone. Let her have this."

Todd shrugged, and laid down. Dirk cuddled up beside him. He liked cuddling close to Todd, listening to his heartbeat. It grounded him, and reminded him that he was no longer in Blackwing, that he was no longer just some freak that could be hurt. He was where he belonged, and he was safe.

Todd pressed a kiss to his forehead, and Dirk allowed his eyes to close. There were still things he needed to deal with, but he was feeling a little calmer now. He still had his sister, his friend, and his partner. It would be alright.

***

Todd was woken up by the sensation of Dirk kicking him as he flailed about in his sleep, tangled in blankets and grappling with them as though he was being actively attacked.  
"I'm not a monster!" he screamed, and then sobbed, shaking his head. "Please, please put it down, no.. no, I'm sorry, I won't..." 

Todd couldn't handle hearing another second of this. Dirk normally had silent nightmares, and that made his screams even more unnerving.  
"Dirk!" Todd called out, reaching out and squeezing Dirk's hand, then shaking him slightly until his eyes opened and he registered where he was. "You were having a nightmare."  
"Oh," Dirk nodded slowly. "I suppose so. It really is rather pleasant to wake up and see you, especially when I was expecting Blackwing..." he shivered. "You are a considerable improvement."  
"Thanks," Todd muttered on reflex.  
"Sorry I woke you."

"Dirk, you can always wake me if something's wrong," Todd told him, and he meant that. Sure, being woken in the middle of the night was never fun, but it was better than Dirk suffering alone. "It sounded like something really frightening was happening."  
"Oh..." Dirk shrugged slightly. "I don't suppose I happened to say anything incriminating?"

"You were saying you weren't a monster," Todd answered, and he could feel the tension in Dirk's body, see the concern in his expression from the glow of the nightlight. "And asking them to put something down."  
"Oh, Priest," Dirk muttered half to himself, the tension remaining as he curled up against Todd. "He had a knife, and I am rather attached to having all of my limbs."

"Keeping your limbs sounds good. Dirk, you're not... not a werewolf or something are you? It's just that's a weird thing to mention when you've only known someone for a few days, and you did seem very insistent."

"I'm not a werewolf Todd," Dirk muttered, and then blinked as a blanket settled over him. "Didn't realise you were here Mona, thank you. I don't suppose you turned off the light?"

The blanket turned green, and then turned back to rainbow stripes.  
"Thank you Mona. Now, if Todd turns on a lamp, please don't turn back into a moth, it would rather ruin the mood."

The blanket didn't change. Todd was slowly getting the hang of Mona, and understood she was explaining that she was being a blanket for now, and wouldn't cause problems. Dirk swallowed.  
"I didn't want to make you think I was weird."

"Dirk, I've known you for a few months. Absolutely nothing that has happened in that time has made me doubt in any way that you are weird, so I won't think you're normal now. Whatever it is, you can let me know."

"I know." Dirk smiled slightly at that, and Todd leaned in to kiss him briefly, wondering what it was that was bothering him. Knowing Dirk, the issue would either be something unimaginably small, or actually a bigger concern than he realised. Bracing himself, Todd squeezed Dirk's hand again, and took a breath as Dirk began to speak.

"Todd, I have wings."

Todd frowned, looking at Dirk for a hint that this was some kind of weird joke, but Dirk was looking down, afraid.  
"Uh, Dirk, you don't. I've seen you naked. You definitely don't have wings, I know I'm not going to win any observant boyfriend awards, but I would definitely notice if you had wings." Todd tried to apply logic, even though he knew he should know better. He'd known Dirk for a while now, and so far while Dirk was a great many wonderful things, bound by logic was definitely not one of them. Dirk seemed to exist in his own private realm, completely unbounded by ideas such as physics, or reality.

"Well I don't always have wings. Like... Mona isn't always a Panic Pete doll."  
"You're...a shapeshifter?"  
"Not...exactly," Dirk answered. "Or if I am, I am really an appalling one given my two options are Dirk with wings and Dirk without wings."

Todd stared at him, not sure if he would be being horribly offensive if he laughed. He couldn't help it.

Dirk glanced around, one hand fidgeting nervously with the blanket.  
"You promise you won't be angry?"  
"I ... I won’t be angry at you. Not for something you can't help." After the last time, when Dirk had asked that before revealing some Blackwing-related trauma that had made Todd want to strangle someone, Todd was careful with his promises.  
"And you won’t... pull the feathers? They're delicate and if you snap one I can… well, I lost quite a lot of blood."

Todd nodded, not quite sure he wanted to think that through. He took a deep breath, trying to brace himself, but Dirk was already removing his jacket and shirt, the blanket left on the bed. Dirk swallowed.  
"I'm sorry..." And the look on Dirk's face was just heartbreaking, so afraid of rejection. Todd walked closer, leaning in to kiss him, closing his eyes as their lips met.

Todd felt something in the room, before he opened his eyes, in the same way that sometimes he was sure he could tell someone was staring at him from behind. When he looked, Dirk was standing in front of him, and behind him there was a mass of white.

Dirk hesitated, and then turned around, exposing his back to Todd. Todd stared, seeing how one wing swept from taller than Dirk to curving to his feet, whilst the other cut off abruptly at the midpoint, a few longer feathers trailing away into space.  
"Bl...Blackwing?" Todd whispered, not sure he could bring himself to ask. Because Dirk's wings were beautiful, even damaged, but he was angry. Dirk was kind, and sweet hearted, and looked like an angel, and they had stolen that.

"My name used to be Anubis. Because they said I brought too much death," Dirk mumbled, his arms around himself, and Todd itched to hold him, to comfort him, but he didn't want to trap him. "But then I got... I got too confident, and too...arrogant. Flew too close to the sun." He snorted slightly. "Started thinking I knew better than them. That I could escape, and live a life I wanted. So they had to… remind me." He reached out, brushing fingers over the remaining feathers of the damaged wing. 

Todd had no idea what to say to that.  
"Are you okay?" Dirk whispered.  
"Want to hurt them for what they did," Todd admitted. "But I'm okay. You got out of it. I can keep you safe now."

Dirk smiled a little at that comment and nodded, turning back around and approaching Todd, leaning in so that his chin rested against Todd's shoulder. Normally, Todd would wrap his arms around Dirk, but he didn't want to damage the feathers. After a moment, Dirk seemed to realise the issue.  
"You can touch." He kissed Todd's cheek. "I know you wouldn't hurt me."

Todd was shaking slightly as he reached out, brushing his fingers over the feathers. They were incredibly soft, and Dirk hummed slightly in delight, a pleased shiver causing the feathers to brush against his fingers. For a few moments they stood like that, Todd's fingers carding through the feathers as tenderly as he could.  
"You still think I might be angry with you?"  
"No."  
"Well done," Todd teased, leaning in and kissing him. "You don't need to hide them, not all the time. I think you look..." he fought down the word angelic. "I think you look great."

Judging by Dirk's grin, great was good enough as a word. Todd was wondering whether or not Dirk would leave his wings out for the rest of the evening when the phone rang. He was about to suggest they leave it, but Dirk already had the receiver in his hand.   
"Hello, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agen-Hi Hobbs!" He paused, his face crinkling in confusion. "I see, I'll let the others know. You hold tight, we'll be there soon."


	2. Chapter 2

"Dirk?"  
"Oh, apparently there's a herd of jackalopes in the parking lot of the Bergsberg Sheriff’s department. Well, maybe it's a herd. You definitely get a herd of deer, but I don't know what the collect plural for bunnies is. A herd doesn't sound right. A warren could be, but that presupposes that they're related, so-"  
"Dirk, focus." Todd squeezed his shoulders. Dirk blinked a couple of times and then nodded.   
"I suppose we can use herd for now, and have a team vote on the plural later, and Mona only gets one vote even if she does turn into an octopus again because I've decided it's a one person one vote rule-"  
"Dirk. Jackalopes."

"Oh, yes, there's a bunch of them, and they aren't being any bother at all, it's just that they shouldn't be there, so Hobbs wondered if we could sort it out. I mean, technically we're detectives but-"  
Todd smiled sleepily at him.   
"Any chance I can persuade you to wait until morning?"  
"None at all." Dirk grinned widely at him. "Come on, we have things to do."

Todd groaned softly but allowed Dirk to call Farah, explaining that they were taking a trip. Farah seemed interested when Bergsberg was mentioned, and would be there to pick them up soon.

Dirk grabbed his shirt, attempting to pull it on over his wings. It took a couple of attempts before he registered what the problem was, and the wings vanished out of existence once more.  
"That was... weird," Todd muttered.  
"You said you liked me being weird," Dirk answered, and there was the slightest smile on his lips there. Todd realised after a moment that Dirk was teasing him, and he couldn't help grinning at that.  
"Oh, I do. But I feel you need reminding sometimes."

The two of them were just grabbing their jackets when Farah pulled up, and she was smiling at them. Todd was a little startled by how relaxed she looked, until he remembered that Bergsberg meant she would be able to visit Tina. He knew that the two of them had been getting close for a while, and he was delighted.

Dirk froze on the front step. "Shit." He turned around, ran back into the house, and returned quickly.  
"Dirk?"  
"Mona," Dirk answered, showing off his wrist watch. The face was currently a sad emoji, an animated tear trickling down its face. "She doesn't like me forgetting her. Mona, I'm sorry..."

Todd stared, and reminded himself this was his choice of life.  
"Come on Mona, we can go and see Hobbs and you can meet some jackalopes. Plus we might see Francis." 

The emoji turned into a representation of a jackalope, and Dirk shot Todd a grateful smile.  
"Francis?" Dirk questioned.  
"Well, someone has to be behind the sudden abundance of jackalopes," Todd answered, then frowned. "Sounds like the name of an album."  
"Well, maybe when you get around to teaching me to play..." Dirk answered, and Todd nodded. He was determined he would teach Dirk at least the basics on guitar, despite Dirk having neither talent nor much in the way of inclination. 

"Guys, lets deal with the weird creatures first, and then flirt?" Farah suggested from the front seat, earning a laugh from both of them. There had definitely been worse sounding ideas.

Dirk ended up sleeping on Todd's shoulder during the car journey, his eyes closed and one arm resting against Todd's side.   
"You two good?" Farah asked, catching his eye in the mirror. "He sounded kind of weird when he called."  
"Yeah, we're good," Todd answered, running his fingers through Dirk's hair and making him snuggle up closer. He looked peaceful, which was a relief. There'd been enough that was bad in Dirk's life.

The sun rose several hours prior to their arrival in Bergsberg, but Dirk was still resting on Todd's shoulder, snuffling slightly. Todd kissed his forehead to wake him up as they parked in the police station.  
"I don't see any jackalopes," Todd pointed out.  
"Well of course not," Hobbs answered as he emerged, greeting Farah with a hug before she was whisked away by Tina and he moved on to cuddling Dirk. "Couldn't leave the little fellas outside, it was cold and they could be hit by the car."

Todd headed into the station, followed by Dirk, and grabbed his phone to send Amanda a photograph of what he saw. The jackalopes had probably initially been placed in the cells, judging by where several of them were resting. Only, they were thinner than the gaps between the bars, and so the cartoon method of escape had worked well for them. One was on Hobbs’ desk, chewing on a pen.

"You… weren't kidding about there being a lot," Todd muttered.  
"I counted thirty seven, but I think there was one I couldn't catch."  
"And this is...a new development for Bergsberg?" Dirk asked curiously.   
"Yes," Hobbs answered. "Just suddenly these guys were all over the front yard, and I didn't know what to do about them. I can't take them home, Mustard might eat them. I got some lettuces, because I didn't know what to feed them." He pointed over at the remains of a few leaves. "Poor things were hungry. I think we need to get them back home, and fast."  
"Do we have any idea where home is?" Dirk asked. He had his arms full of jackalope, with one of the creatures nuzzling against his chest, a large ball of fluff. Todd realised that Dirk's watch had disappeared.  
"Mona, please don't get mixed in with the other jackalopes, I'd hate to have to go on an adventure to find you," Todd pleaded, and she turned into a plushie jackalope. It looked perfectly happy, but Todd wondered if Mona was sulking with him. He pushed that aside as a problem for future Todd, and hoped that Mona would forgive him.

"Well, we were assuming maybe you could help with that," Hobbs said with a shrug, reaching out to pat the plushie jackalope.  
"I suppose the obvious answer would be Wendimoor," Dirk said softly. "I mean, that would explain why it's Bergsberg and not anywhere else..."  
"I thought Francis had sealed off the link?" Farah asked.

"He has. There shouldn't be any crossover-"  
"Shit," Todd interrupted. "That ... your girlfriend Dirk."  
"One, Beast is a lovely... Rowdy with a fine taste in men, but she isn't my girlfriend, thank you. And two, Francis said that she could stay. She's part of this world now, it's probably something else."

"Creepy fun house?" Tina suggested with a grin, then paused. "I might have been playing in there sometimes. It's great to explore."  
"Tina," Farah muttered frustratedly, but Dirk stared.  
"And you didn't get eaten?"  
"No?" Tina frowned. "I just asked the Blackwing people and they let me in, why?"  
"...Because there was-" he paused, and then groaned. "Tell me they didn't."  
"What Dirk?" Todd tried to follow Dirk's train of thought, but again it wasn't working.

"Did it," Dirk muttered, and Todd stared.  
"Dirk we haven't even started a case."  
"Well I've solved it," Dirk answered, sticking his tongue out and then turning to Hobbs. "Todd heroically rescued me from the ...uh. One eyed one horned flying purple people eater that was in the Cardenas house. But it should still be there. The fact Tina is not-eaten, is because-"  
"I'm not purple?" Tina interrupted with a grin. Dirk rolled his eyes but smiled at her before continuing.

"Because Blackwing must have taken it. And it was removed from the ... creepy fun house, thank you Tina, which was probably fine because that was one of Francis's creations, and is in our world. Did it."   
Todd nodded slowly, reaching out to pat the plushie that was still cuddled up in Dirk's arms.

"So what do we do?"  
"Ask Francis. See if he can get the ... okay for brevity's sake I'm calling it the purple eater, because I do not want to be having a conversation about a people eater... Ask Francis to take the purple eater back home, and the jackalopes with them."  
"I... guess?" Todd tried to give Dirk an encouraging smile. Dirk returned it, then paused as he saw Hobbs slip into the cells.  
"Everything okay over there Sheriff?"

"Yeah… this little guy's got his antlers stuck..." Hobbs crouched down by the cell, freeing the jackalope that was trapped and rewarding it with a slice of carrot that he pulled out from a pocket. Todd wondered if all of his pockets were just filled with snacks for various creatures. When he handed over a lollipop to Dirk, he decided that they were.

"How do we find Francis?"  
"I'll go to the funhouse and then see what I can do. You guys stay here and guard the jackalopes."

Todd paused, but nodded.   
"You'll take your phone with you this time? Call me if you get chased by any more monsters?"  
"I will. But if Tina's been going there it's probably safe."  
"The word probably in there worries me," Farah mumbled, but Dirk was already racing off. Todd sighed.  
"I'll go and keep an eye on him, you guys handle..." He waved his hand at the police station, trying to work out how one of the creatures had ended up on the filing cabinet. Hobbs went to tempt it down with some more carrot. 

Dirk had taken the car, so Todd borrowed Tina's, resigning himself to the fact that Dirk would get there before him. When he arrived, Dirk was walking out of the house, with a big smile on his face.  
"I don't need to go back to Blackwing," he murmured. "Now that he knows it’s there he and Wakti can pull the purple eater back through, and the jackalopes... he said he'd give us a little while so Hobbs could say goodbye."  
"That's ...sweet?"   
"And he says he might be able to take Hobbs and Tina to visit Wendimoor one day."

Todd frowned, but Dirk was already back in the car, and Todd resigned himself to again turning up late because he didn't want to break the speed limits. 

By the time he arrived back at the station, the jackalopes were gone, and the others were sipping hot drinks around the table. There was no sign of the plushie jackalope either, and for a second Todd panicked that maybe Mona had disappeared, until he heard a faint splashing and glanced over to see a tiny snake-like reptile threaded between the empty cups that were languishing in the cooling water.  
"Mona's in the sink?"  
"She's a sink serpent," Dirk answered.

Todd shrugged, walking over and kissing Dirk.


End file.
